Mammal Poem

Fish,
And frog,
And bird,
Showed up at mammal school,

Pretending they were mammals,
Were feeling pretty cool…

Welcome, said the teacher,
To bird, and frog, and fish,
You may continue in this class,
If that’s what you three wish…
But really what I see,
Not one of you are mammals,
Unlike bears, and beavers,
Hippos, cats, or camels…

Mammals breathe the air,
And mostly cannot fly,
A few might hatch from eggs,

Fit in here? You can try…
Mammals have warm blood,
Grow fur or have thick hair,
Make milk to feed their newborns,

And give their youngest care…
Rabbits, mice, and monkeys,

Dogs and great, great apes,

Those we count as mammals,
All sizes and all shapes…
If you want to hang out,
That’s cool, you’ll get a pass,
But frogs, and birds, and fish,

Aren’t really in this class…